All, I have a abundance of N-SCALE Locomotives from my beginnings in 1974, anyone happen to know what was the code of ATLAS TRack back then? I am attempting to use the N-SCALE Locomotives I have on hand for a Layout. Tom
Probably code 80. I know Atlas makes code 55 and code 80; if you have a lot of older models, it's probably safer to use the larger code to avoid any issues in case your models have oversize flanges.
Yup, code 80 was all Atlas was selling back then. Some of it is on my current layout, even some from the sixties. Doug
No it wasn't. Oh, wait. This is the N forum. No one cares. You have a brass section? These days I leave that to the symphony orchestra.
Now that you mentioned it, when I started in HO in 1967, Atlas was selling Brass Snap track. In 1970 when I got my first N scale set, it came with Nickel silver rail. I don't remember when Atlas switched to Nickel Silver rail in HO, but I though that was funny, the newer N scale had the nickel silver rail before the more established HO scale?
There was never ANY commercial N scale brass track. Always nickel silver except for some Casadio aluminum track in the seventies. It was otherwise identical to the original Atlas nickel silver track they made for Atlas in the sixties. Also, Atlas sold brass and nickel silver HO track concurrently for many years, the nickel silver being slightly more expensive, of course. Doug
While there has never been any commercially produced N Scale track with brass rails, one of the major pioneer 9 mm gauge manufacturers did produce a line of non-traditional sectional track. With a rail profile that was more rounded (which would keep the rails cleaner according to its manufacturer) than that which was seen on other brands of code 80 sectional track, the Arnold Rapido product had chemically etched blackened stainless steel rails, which were staggered, rather than flush at each end. If one was modeling HO Scale during the early years of Atlas track production (circa late 1940s to the early 1960s), you would likely have encountered brass rail fiber tie flex track, which proceeded the contemporary production, plastic tie "Custom Line" sectional and flex track products. As was the case with brass and nickle silver rail products, fiber tie flex was sold concurrently with plastic tie flex for a number of years.
Right on! I had Arnold Rapido trains when I was young and Rapido's staggered ends (which made sense to lock track sections) drove me crazy because the local hobby shops stocked Atlas track which I could not use. Arnold advertised its self cleaning aspect with the illustration below. Arnold's turnouts had no plastic frog, so there was no stalling and they were power routing too. Welcome features in N Scale's early days.
Jeepers, how could I have forgotten the Arnold steel track? I only went on a buying spree for it and built a small Arnold layout with it a couple years ago! Doug